KHONKAEN, 20 February 2014 Rice growers in Khon Kaen have asserted they will continue to partake in the government’s rice pledging project, because they would otherwise receive a lower price from rice mills.

Sakhon Phangthui, a farmer in Mueang district of Khon Kaen, said that he pledged 3 tons of his produce in January, after the recent harvest, in accordance with the government’s limit of 3 tons of rice mortgage per family. He said he had already received the warehouse receipt, and that he was not troubled by the delay in payment to farmers.

With no shortage of water for irrigation, farmers in the district had already started to grow off-season rice, and the crop was growing better than during the previous year, he added.

Sakhon said that he would again pledge the upcoming produce in the rice mortgage scheme because he would fetch a better price than the 12,000 baht per ton offered by rice mills.